JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Work on the Stadium of the Future has begun but a decision on where the Jaguars will play their one season away from Jacksonville won’t be made until this spring’s NFL owner’s meetings.
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Small pockets of construction have popped up since the end of the season at EverBank Stadium, and that will continue throughout the offseason.
Team president Mark Lamping said on Monday that the Jaguars are continuing to work on their report for host options for 2027 when the team will relocate from Jacksonville as the major construction begins. There will likely be a decision on where the Jaguars will play by the owner’s meetings in May, Lamping said.
“We’re probably within 30 to 45 days from submitting a report to the National Football League, which will summarize our evaluation of all the alternatives,” Lamping said. “We’ll also include a recommendation. The league will receive that. They’ll study that. We’ll have a lot of back and forth.”
In 2026, the Jaguars will play in front of a reduce capacity of 43,500 with the upper decks closed for construction.
The Jaguars are considering playing games in either Orlando’s Camping World Stadium or the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. There is also the possibility that Jacksonville plays an additional home game in London in 2027.
Lamping said a timeline for a temporary home has to be approved by essentially the same process that a new lease follows. Jacksonville’s plan would be vetted through committee meetings and then be put up to a full vote by NFL owners. Just like the lease and stadium deal, it would need to be signed off on by 75% of NFL owners.
“If you look outside, you’re going to see that there are some areas that are fenced off. There’s some deep pile work that’s going on there,” Lamping said. “You’ll see a crane that’s in the south end of the end zone. Work is going on. It commenced about 45 days ago. So far, no surprises, but a long, long way to go.”
